A Flame's Radiant Waltz
by Bub-Omb
Summary: Before the League of Legends, young Leona becomes the center of conflict when her drive to protect the weak is viewed as potentially harmful to the Rakkor way of life. Smuggled out by a concerned comrade, things quickly go awry when an attempt on her life is made. Luckily, she receives some unlikely help from a young shopkeeper and an old firefighter. Co-Authored by TheLastMessage.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

_Written by __TheLastMessage_

On the continent of Valoran, many incredible and unique societies could be found. From the technological towers of Piltover, to the great grandiose spires of Demacia, one could find people and places full of culture. The small village of Kalamanda was not one of these places; not by a long shot. It was about as bland a village as one could find; an insignificant speck on an otherwise colorful map. Some said that it was a decent fishing spot for trout, but that was about it. Even when cloaked in autumnal scenery, the little town remained unremarkable. If a person was in Kalamanda, they were either passing through or they didn't have a choice. One would think that being bored in a town such as this would be easy, and they would be absolutely correct.

In a small, non-descript shop on the southern edge of the village, a young woman leaned against the store's lone counter, tapping her finger to the rhythm of some imaginary song playing inside her head. She stared blankly, at the door through warm brown eyes, silently wishing someone would enter in to break the monotony of the workday. Around the store, herbal medicines of all kinds could be seen on shelves, though the amount of stock seemed a little underwhelming. After nearly a minute more of silence, the girl sighed and walked around the counter. Leaning up against it, she stretched and let out another tired sigh. With long, indigo-hued hair and a slim build, the girl was certainly attractive. In such a sleepy little town, looks didn't matter much. She wore a worn, white cloak that nearly reached down to her knees and was adorned with black and red tribal patterns. The open front of the cloak revealed that the girl only wore a black tank top and shorts underneath. Off of her shorts hung a long, straight dagger in a sheath. Interestingly, there was a lengthy, thin chain hooked to the pommel of the weapon, linking it to her belt.

Pounding her fist on the counter out of boredom, the young shopkeeper was just about to give up and take a nap when she heard the door to the store open. A look of disappointment crossed her face when a young man, twenty-something years old, stepped in.

"If you're not here to buy, then just turn right around Gan," grumbled the girl.

"Well hello to you too, Talis," replied Gan with a goofy grin. "You're looking good today."

"I didn't open up this store just for you to come and gawk at me," snapped Talis. "Now get what you need and get out."

The young man frowned. "Is that how you treat all your customers? No wonder you don't get much business."

Talis growled. The man's words may have seemed a bit harsh, but they were true. Ever since she had opened the shop earlier in the year, Talis had barely managed to scrape by. At only 18 years old, many people thought that the teen was simply too young and inexperienced to run a successful business. Talis herself knew that perhaps they were partially correct, but there was still more to it than that.

"All those new manufactured meds are what's making business slow. People just aren't as interested in the natural stuff anymore. And besides, I don't act that way to all my customers. Just the annoying ones like you," she said, watching as the man walked over to a shelf and grabbed a small jar.

"I prefer the word 'persistent' to 'annoying', but who am I to say? Anyhow, you still stock the best burn salve out there, so I wouldn't say you're totally sunk." He walked over to the counter and placed the jar on it. "How much traffic have you had today?"

"About the normal amount. Ten or eleven sales maybe. That's enough to keep stocking the shelves and put some bread on the table at least." She grabbed the jar of salve and tossed it from hand to hand. "That'll be 5 silver pieces."

Gan leaned over the counter and smiled. "How about a kiss instead?"

"How about I carve your lips off and stitch them to your ass?" growled the shopkeeper.

"Do you have a cream for that?"

"Just pay up already."

"Fine, fine." The man dug around in his pockets before producing five silver coins. "Here's your money," he sighed, dropping them onto the counter. Talis swept them up and dropped them into a pouch at her waist before tossing Gan the jar.

"Just outta curiosity, who's it for this time?" Talis asked.

"Geoff."

"Again? Don't tell me that drunken idiot tried eating food straight out of the pot like last time."

Gan smirked and crossed his arms. "I wish. Nah, he tried to piss on a grease fire to put it out. Flames roared up and everything, you should've seen it." The man started jogging around in circles and waving his arms around. "He was just running around yelling 'put it out, put it out,' and of course none of us were gonna pat it down or anything. He wouldn't have had such a problem if he didn't have so much hair downstairs, but i—"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Talis burst out, waving her hands to make the man stop. "That's all I needed to hear, thanks."

The goofy young man shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever you say. I'll see you later Talis."

Talis waited until the door clicked shut before letting out a sigh of relief. She was generally a friendly and approachable person, but that man was just so…annoying. Resting her chin in her hand, she resumed her tapping on the counter and groaned. She had lived in Kalamanda for nearly three years now, but she still felt out of place. _This just isn't the place for me, _she thought.

Her decision to settle in the village was somewhat against her will; at the time it had been her only option. Originally born to a nomadic tribe in the Shurima Desert, the girl had found that her aspirations could not have been fulfilled by wandering about in the desert. At the age of fifteen, she had fled from the tribe and into the desert night; it was a decision that nearly killed her. Dehydrated and exhausted, she had been lucky enough to stumble upon an old tomb in which she took shelter. If not for a group of explorers that had discovered her shortly thereafter, she would have likely been just another body in the tomb. While the near death experience had caused the girl's dreams to fade away, she couldn't bring herself to return to the tribe that she had abandoned. With the help of the explorers, she had managed to make her way out of the desert and into Kalamanda. Fortunately for her, a kind older couple had taken her in, and for nearly two years she lived under their roof. Sadly, death came knocking unexpectedly as both the old man and his wife were stricken by illness. Kind to the very end, the old man had left his home to Talis, much to her disbelief. It was small, but Talis had managed to convert it into a shop, living and working out of it ever since.

A part of her wanted to keep the shop running as a sort of tribute to the couple who had provided for her, but another part of her felt as if she just didn't belong. However, without any money, there wasn't much that she could do.

_Ah well. You play the cards your dealt, _the girl thought to herself. Pulling up a chair, she laid her head down on the counter, the cool touch a welcome feeling. She ran her hand along the surface, noting every dent, ding, and imperfection. "Is this all there really is for me?" she whispered to herself. Lost in thoughts of a better life, Talis softly and soundly drifted off to sleep.

Still asleep at her counter hours later, Talis did not awaken as two robed figures quietly slipped through the door in the waning hours of the day. Both of them had their hoods pulled low, but one of them was significantly taller than the other. Their faces may have been hidden, but the swords at their waists were out in plain view. The taller stranger was being supported by the other. Looking around, he whispered quietly to his comrade. His breaths were coming in short, ragged bursts. "There," he said pointing at a small rack with rolls of bandages on it. "Those should help for now."

"Right," said the other robed intruder. The voice was clearly one of a female. Gently lowering the taller man to the floor so that he was resting against the wall, she hurried over to the rack of bandages and pulled some off. In her haste, she turned carelessly, the pommel of her sword colliding with the rack. Both intruders cringed as the rack crashed to the ground, shattering the silence.

Up at the counter, Talis sat bolt upright, her eyes instantly alert. As soon as she saw the two intruders, she drew her dagger and stepped out from behind the counter. "I hope you plan on paying for those," she snarled, "because right now it looks like you're stealing them." She was outnumbered two to one, but she wasn't afraid; someone was threatening her business and she wouldn't stand for it.

"Please," spoke the hooded female. "We don't have any money. My comrade is severely injured and I need to tend to his wounds." She indicated to the man on the floor.

Still angered that someone would dare steal from her, Talis was not in the mood to be generous. "It doesn't look that bad. I'm not running a charity here; either you have to pay or you can get out." She advanced on the intruder, with the intent to chase them off. Before she could get within striking distance, she stopped dead in her tracks when she suddenly found the tip of a longsword a mere inch from her throat. Her eyes narrowed. _She drew it so fast. This could get ugly._

"Please," repeated the stranger. "I do not want to fight you, but I am not afraid to do so."

In the dimly lit store, Talis couldn't quite see the face of her assailant, but she glared at her anyway. "One roll. That's all you get."

"Thank you." The unknown woman sheathed her sword and knelt next to her companion. She lowered her hood to see better, and Talis couldn't help but be surprised by what she saw. It was a girl; she couldn't have been more than one or two years into teenage life. With flowing auburn hair and gentle, amber eyes, the young girl seemed to bring a warmth to the room. Moving the man's cloak aside and lifting his shirt, the girl frowned at what she saw. A large, gaping cut was carved into the man's side; crusted over but still leaking a steady stream of blood.

Talis' gaze softened as she realized that she had almost denied the man treatment. "Hold on," she said, hurrying over to a shelf on the wall. She grabbed a bottle of medicinal cream and handed it to the girl. "This should slow the bleeding and ease the pain."

"Pain is no hindrance to me," growled the wounded man.

"That may be, but blood loss WILL be," countered the shopkeeper.

"I don't need your medicine!" he snarled, pounding his fist on the wall.

"Dorian, stop!" scolded the man's female companion. "Do you want to die on the floor of a dusty old shop?"

"Of course not," responded Dorian. "A death in battle is the only one for me."

This comment made Talis raise an eyebrow. It wasn't often she came across someone with such a love for battle. "Looks like you almost got your wish. If that cut was any deeper, you'd probably be dead. Who were you pickin' a fight with?"

"It is nothing that concerns you," replied Dorian. "After my companion finishes patching me up, we will be on our way."

Talis crossed her arms, clearly unsatisfied by the answer she had been given. She was about to voice her annoyance when Dorian suddenly shot to his feet, his wound still half-uncovered. The move startled his companion, who grabbed his arm and attempted to pull him back down.

"What are you doing Dorian? I'm not fin—"

"Be quiet!" hissed the tall man. His eyes narrowed, then suddenly widened. "They're here Leona! Run!" Bracing himself against the door, the man barely had enough time to get his full weight against it before something on the other side slammed into it. The bang made Talis yelped with surprise.

The man looked down at his companion, who had risen to her feet but hadn't moved from the spot. "What are you doing?! Get out of here!"

The young girl named Leona shook her head. "No. I am a Rakkor warrior; I will not run from a fight."

Dorian grunted as something once again rammed into the door from the other side. "You are not a full-fledged warrior yet, child. Do not argue with me!"

"I disagree. I may not enjoy killing, but I will not hesitate to defend myself."

The next impact on the door knocked Dorian to the ground, and he barely managed to charge forward to slam it back shut. "You!" he shouted at Talis. "Get this girl away from here! She cannot die here; not now!"

The fear in Talis' eyes was quickly replaced by anger. First these two strangers had snuck in to steal from her, and now there was someone trying to ram down her door. "What the hell is this?" asked the dark-haired teen. "What are you two running from?"

"GET HER OUT OF HERE NOW!" The man had just barely managed to roar the command before he was knocked down and the door burst open. Two masked men charged into the room armed with short blades, but Dorian was ready for them. Already back to his feet, he drew his sword and let out a ferocious shout as he took a swing at nearest enemy.

With only a split second to make up her mind, Talis quickly decided that this was a fight that she did not want to get involved with. "C'mon!" she barked at Leona over the clanging of metal, "we can get out through the back door!" She grabbed the other girl's wrist and tried to pull her toward the back room, but Leona wouldn't budge.

"I cannot leave my companion to fight alone!" said the young warrior. She drew her sword, but was stopped by a shout from Dorian.

"Don't be such a fool! If you are a truly disciplined warrior, then you will do as you are told!" The wounded warrior had his hands full with his two attackers, but he was managing to hold his ground.

Tightening her grip on her sword, Leona shouted out in anger before turning and running with Talis behind the counter and towards the back room. Still worried about her companion, she turned around for one last look. It was an unfortunate mistake.

Up at the front of the store, Dorian was finally feeling the pressure of fighting two opponents. He was already bleeding from several small cuts, but he was far from discouraged. Gritting his teeth, he took a swing at the man closest to him. The masked man managed to block the Rakkor soldier's swing, but the heavy blow sent the assailant stumbling back. With that opponent out of the fight for a split second, Dorian turned his attention to the other attacker, only to find a blade being thrust straight at his stomach. Weakened from blood loss and exhaustion, the tall warrior was simply too slow to avoid the attack. Unable to do anything, he was forced to watch as the steel sword buried itself into his stomach. With his vision already blurring, Dorian snarled like a wounded animal and charged forward. Reaching out with his free hand, he grabbed his surprised attacker by the face and slammed his head into the wall. Drawing back his longsword, the man let out one last battle cry as he slammed his sword straight through the masked attacker's chest, pinning him to the wall.

Grinning at his final victory, Dorian fell down to his knees, the short sword of his opponent still buried in his stomach. Letting out his final breath, the man fell to the side, finally succumbing to his injuries.

From behind the counter, Leona let out a scream of anguish. Vaulting over the barrier, she charged the remaining assailant with the ferocity of a raging bull.

Talis desperately shouted for the young Rakkor to stop, but the cries fell upon deaf ears. She could only watch on as Leona attacked her opponent ruthlessly, putting all her might into her blows. In a matter of seconds, it was evident that the girl was outmatched. With a quick flick of the wrist, her assailant knocked the young warrior's sword from her hand. Backed into a corner and unarmed, there didn't seem to be any options left for Leona.

Gripping her dagger tightly, Talis looked on with conflicting emotions. She wanted to help, but she knew that she wouldn't stand much of a chance against the masked attacker. Still, she couldn't just stand around and watch another person die. Accepting the fact that it could lead to her death, the girl drew her dagger. Swinging it around on its chain, she let the weapon fly just as the attacker prepared to strike Leona down.

Before either of the weapons found there mark, a brilliant flash of light burst forth, seemingly out of nowhere. It came without warning, but its effect was felt by all in the room. Accompanied by tremendous heat, the light was incredible in intensity. Suddenly blinded, Talis barely had any time to think before she collapsed, completely separated from her consciousness.

* * *

For the second time that day, Talis was awoken with a start. This time though, it wasn't from sound; it was heat. It felt like she was being baked alive. Rubbing her eyes, it only took the teen a second to realize that her current situation was a grave one. She wasn't sure what had happened or why. She didn't know what fate had befallen Leona, or the remaining masked man. There was one thing the young store owner did know though, and it was a thought that burned quite brightly in her mind.

_MY STORE IS ON FIRE! _

Flames were shooting up everywhere around her. The building was a completely wooden structure, so she knew she didn't have long before it would collapse. Quickly getting to her feet, Talis frantically looked around. The first thing she saw was the body of Dorian and the man he had pinned to the wall. She only took a moment to mourn the brave man's death before looking for his companion. Over in the corner of the burning store, she saw the bodies of both Leona and the last masked man. Running over, she quickly determined that the masked man was far beyond questioning. On top of the fact that the dagger she had thrown was buried in his back, there was also a large, burning beam that had fallen on top of him, charring a good portion of his body in the process. Yanking her dagger out of the dead man's back, Talis quickly turned her attention to the body of Leona. A quick check revealed that the girl still had a good, strong pulse. Grabbing the unconscious warrior under the arms, the ex-nomad quickly dragged her out of the store, making sure to lay her down well clear of the building. A few people had gathered around, but they could do nothing but watch as the shop continued to burn. Talis grabbed the arm of the first person she saw and told them to look after Leona. She then turned around, looking on as her very own shop burned before her. She knew she wouldn't be able to save everything, but she wasn't just going to let it all turn to ash.

Taking a deep breath, the dark-haired girl charged back into the burning building, ignoring the several shouts that came from the gathering crowd. She danced around the flickering flames, a slick layer of sweat already covering her body. The heat was nearly unbearable, but she had to save as many of her belongings as she could. She immediately dashed for the back room where she kept her money as well as most of her clothes and personal belongings. Unfortunately for the girl, it quickly became apparent that there wasn't much she was going to be able to salvage from there. Most of the back room had already collapsed, her belongings now buried under charred, crackling lumber.

"Damn!" she cursed aloud. If she couldn't save her own belongings, she had to at least save some of the medicine. Whipping her cloak off, she quickly folded the four corners of the garment together to make a makeshift sack. Doing her best to avoid the ever-spreading flames, she rapidly threw as many things into the impromptu bag as she could. Concentrating on saving as much as she could, the teen failed to notice how fast the fire had intensified. Just as she was preparing to leave, the girl suddenly fell to her knees, feeling lightheaded. As she struggled to draw breath, she realized her mistake: she had overstayed her welcome, and now the heat and smoke was taking its toll. Weak and gasping for air, she attempted to crawl toward the exit, but only made it a few more feet before collapsing. Barely conscious and with her eyes only half open, she saw something that seemed rather strange. It was an older man, quickly making his way toward her. There seemed to be a sphere of something protecting him from the flames. Any fire that the sphere touched seemed to be instantly extinguished.

_An old man in a bubble? I really am dying, _Talis thought as she closed her eyes. Exhausted, the teen finally gave in and let her mind drift free.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_Written by __Bub-Omb_

Despair was the only emotion filling the old man as he huffed yet another breath from his lungs into the girl's.

_C'mon, dammit,_ he thought half to himself and half to the teen.

"One… Two... Three…" he counted aloud before pressing his lips to hers and exhaling down the girl's smoke infested lunges. "You were only in there a few minutes, c'mon!"

"She may be gone sir… I think we ought to…"

"Shut up! Damn you and your ignorance, she has a pulse!" he barked at one of the other firefighters standing around. The burning building was nearly completely toppled as a crowd watched on in horror. The heat of the fire setting the small shop ablaze was strong enough to withstand an overwhelming amount of the water the team had sprayed on it, and being such an isolated location from the houses, they had deemed it unworthy of their town's water supply to put it out. Within a few hours, it would run out of kindling and extinguish itself.

The old man drew in one more breath in hopes that his years of cardiopulmonary resuscitation practice would not fail him then. Keeping his mouth tight to the dark haired girl's lips to prevent any air from escaping, he puffed out the strongest wind his old lungs could muster. Much to his relief, the teenaged girl's eyes snapped wide open. The first thing she saw was the man hunched over her, her cloak removed and shirt half open, and a large crowd of people surrounding her. Acting off of adrenaline, she shoved the old man off and quickly covered herself up.

"What the HELL are you—" she began before sputtering out a blackened mixture of saliva and soot.

"Why young lady, I am saving your life. It is this interesting technique called CPR. It tends to help one breath by giving him, or her, air and pushing objects out of their lungs." The girl's sharp glare made it obvious that she was quite flustered and frustrated. Looking around, the old man saw that his particular rescue had drawn a very large crowd. "Go on, scram! Give her some room!" he demanded of his audience. The harsh tone frightened away the small children of the group in an instant, which drew many mothers to their sides, and the few remaining onlookers dispersed shortly thereafter. "Many apologies, I did not intend to embarrass you. Name's Raphael. Yours?" The girl continued to scowl at him, but the threat level was subdued substantially as her whole body shook with the coughs forcing their way from her charred lungs.

"My cloak?" she asked. The man cocked his head and looked at her slightly confused. He took off his over shirt and offered it to her, thinking that she was looking for some less torn clothes to cover her body. She rolled her eyes and stated the same question again.

"I'm sorry, I'm not quite certain what you are talking about," Raphael told the girl.

"The cloak I went into the shop to get! I had pi—" she stopped to cough before continuing. "I piled my belongings on it, did you not grab that too?"

"No, I did not bother. Your life was more important to me. Belongings can be replaced. People, cannot…" The old man's sentence drifted off with an out of place air of sadness about it. The girl seemed to lighten up a little once her head had begun to clear and she realized he was right.

"Talis," she said. The man looked up from his downward gaze and smiled through his thick black whiskers. His hair was starting to grey at the roots, and some strands had already completed the process long ago. His eyes were a dark brown and seemed to house a thousand secrets, while his gaze welcomed everyone with a friendly warmth. His clothes were black, but the bands around his arms and legs were bright yellow. It appeared that he slid them down when he entered burning buildings to keep the loose ends from snagging on obstacles. His undershirt sported the same color, as Talis noted while he had his jacket off.

Feeling fairly naked in her torn tank top and shorts, she pointed to the jacket the old man was about to put back on. "Actually…" she started, but need not finish; Raphael knew what she was going to say.

"Yes, you may." He handed her his over shirt and she slid it around her torso and used the yellow tethers around the waist to keep it tight. She had just come out of a fire, but the crisp autumn breeze still found its way to her skin. The girl's eyes lit up as she started to retrace the events leading up to the destruction of her shop.

"Rufus, did you see a girl, early teens, red hair?"

The man chuckled. "I know not of a Rufus. But perhaps I can find you one."

Talis was deeply confused before she blushed and turned her head away. "Um… What's your name again?"

"Raphael. Any who, she is right over there." The man gestured to Leona, who was standing in her specific spot amongst the crowd, despite the fact that it had already dispersed.

"Leona!" Talis called out. "Are you OK?" The girl looked at the dark haired teen but did not respond. The fierce glow for battle no longer flickered in her eyes as she awkwardly stood just yards away from the fragmented building. Talis waited for a few seconds before asking a second time. "Are you alright Leona?"

"Talis, I'm afraid that she is most likely not alright. She does not looked injured, but that gaze…" The old man's words were lost to the wind as Talis rushed to Leona's side. Once next to her, he crouched slightly and spoke to the girl with their heads at a level height.

"Leona, what happened? Why did my shop catch on fire?" Again, her words were complimented by silence. Raphael stood up and walked over to the petrified individual and held out a hand. Instinctively, she took it in hers and he walked her away from the building. Once a safe distance from the fires, he sat down cross-legged and patted the inside of his thigh. She took a seat in his lap and he held her around the waist with his left arm, while gently combing her hair with his right.

"You have beautiful hair, what's your name young lady?" Raphael questioned the girl.

"Le… Leona. My… my name is Leona."

"Yes, that's a well suited name. Well tell me Leona, where were you born?

"Born?"

"Yes. Was it in the grand state of Demacia with their beautiful white, blue, and yellow flags, the dreaded city of Noxus where red is the only color it bathes in, or perhaps in a small village in the Shurima Desert, just south of here?"

"Na… no. I was not born in any of those," the girl told him.

"Oh? Well perhaps you would like to tell me then?" Raphael genuinely thought one of his options would be the correct one, if the girl was not too shaken up to think properly. No other city lay anywhere near Kalamanda, so the three options were most logical.

"The man with her said he was a Rakkor warrior," Talis interjected, clearly too impatient to wait on Leona's response. "But if I remember right, that's a village from Mount Targon. That death hole would never let a soldier out of its walls." Gears turned slowly in Talis' head as she began to piece together potential scenarios for the situation, using her imagination. Her thought process was cut short as Raphael held up a hand towards her face. She stomped her foot and scoffed at the man for the rude gesture, but he paid it no mind.

"She can talk for herself Talis. She will tell me where she is from, won't you Leona?" The old man's voice was gentle, but not toned down. Despite the fact that Leona was clearly still a child, he spoke to her as an equal, or maybe even a greater. Talis had never seen such an oddity and remembered that it merely took an offered hand and a pat to the thigh to get her to follow. Maybe the man was simply very good with kids.

"Yes, I can tell you. I was born a village called Rakkor, on Mount Targon. I have a friend back home named Pantheon," she told him.

"Pantheon huh? Is he a strong hunk or something?" Raphael asked teasingly. The girl's face blushed as bright as her hair as she buried her head into the old man's arm. "Uh oh… someone has a crush now do they?"

"No!" she shouted almost the instant the words had left Raphael's lips.

"I'm teasing hun. C'mon, let's go inside. It's starting to get dark out." Raphael gently pushed Leona and she got up off of his lap. She stuck close to his side, and away from Talis. Raphael led the way to a nearby in as the sun finished setting behind the horizon.

* * *

The lower portion of the old inn that the three entered was a dining area, primarily used as a bar in the evening. Raphael made his way to a booth and let the female members of his party take a seat before he scooted in. A waitress came around and he ordered himself a drink.

"Care for one Talis?" the firefighter asked. She cocked her head in thought before she realized what he was asking.

"Beer? Oh, no. I'll pass."

"OK, just two then." The waitress wrote down the order and walked off to get the drinks.

"Two? I told you I didn't want any."

"I did not order you one," he told Talis.

"Did you order one for Leona?! What the hell! She is just a kid!"

"Well I thought that she would want to try it! Am I right Leona?" the old man said with a wink to Rakkor child, who caught on to the charade and decided to play along.

"Of course! I was never allowed to drink alcohol at home." The comment was followed by a short pause as Talis stared at the duo.

"You people disgust me." The waitress got back and placed the two beers in front of Talis and Raphael respectively, before he shifted the second glass in front of himself, placed a straw in each, and drank out of both simultaneously. The teen rolled her eyes, realizing she had been tricked by an old man and a fourteen year old, and sat at the booth in silence. After a few minutes, Raphael pulled out a deck of cards, cut it in half, and placed one stack in front of Talis.

"What are you doing Ralph?" she asked the firefighter.

"That's not my name, but we are going to play War. Know the rules?" She frowned at him.

"Yes, I know how to play War. We both draw and the higher card wins. Woohoo. Count me out."

"You owe me at least a card game. I saved your life a few hours ago, remember?"

"Bah," she spat before flipping over the top card on her deck, being a ten of hearts. The old man mimicked and drew a five of spades. Having the higher number, Talis swiped the cards up and added them back to her pile. Continuing in near silence, the game leaned heavily in Talis' favor until a man approached their table, clearly a little tipsy. Talis' eyes stared so far up into her own skull that it appeared she may have gotten them stuck.

"What, Gan?" she groaned at the approaching man. She could feel herself growing hot before he even spoke a word; the destruction of her store was sure to be the center point of Gan's upcoming comments.

"Hardly a way to treat your last customer now is it tutz?"

"Go. Away."

"Now now, no need to be so harsh. Listen, tell ya what, I'll give you some cash to help you until you find a new place to live, mmmkay?" Talis glared at the man in disbelief of his potential generosity. Seeing that she did not answer, he continued to talk. "A hundred gold pieces. But it will come with a small price." The teen's eyes grew wide as she heard the number, but attempted to restrain the excitement from being noticeable.

"And what price is that?" she scoffed.

"One, kiss." The half drunk man's smile consumed his entire face as he leaned over the table towards her. Talis looked to be debating the offer over but shook the idea from her head.

"No, Gan. I'll do fine without it, if that's your price."

"What! Really? You locked lips with this old coot, but you won't give me one kiss?"

"Gan," Raphael interjected. "That was CPR. But if it makes you that jealous…" Then out of nowhere, the old man reached across the table, grabbed Gan's head, pulled him in, and kissed him right on the lips. The drunk lurched back and sputtered while wiping his mouth with his hands as if he could brush the kiss away.

"What the HELL?!" he shouted.

"Transitive property. Now she kissed you. That's how works, right?"

"Bah! Screw this! Forget your money, I'm out!" he yelled as he stomped away in a fury. Talis was attempting to recover from a laughing fit, Leona sat quietly in the corner, and Raphael continued to drink his beers as if nothing had happened.

"What WAS that Raffy?" Talis asked through spurts of continual giggling.

"He left didn't he?"

"Well yeah, but…"

"You act like I have never performed CPR on a man before. Doesn't bother me one bit. But Gan… Doubt we will see him for awhile." Talis smiled and stared at the old man for a few minutes, beginning to acquire a new appreciation for the firefighter's bizarre personality, and did not even notice that he was packing up the cards on the table. The teen looked back to the table and moved her hand to the side, but realized something was off.

"Did you pick up the cards?" she asked.

"Yeah it was pretty one sided," he told her while pulling out a small journal and writing inside of it.

"What's that?" Leona asked the old man.

"A log of my wins and losses. Sadly, I don't win a whole lot." He gave the book to Leona and she started to flick through the pages and take note of the honesty to the man's statement. After finishing his drinks, he pulled out a bag of tobacco and a small piece of paper. He began to roll up a cigarette before Talis interrupted him.

"You smoke? Even as a firefighter? Doesn't the smell bother you?"

"Ah, yes. It does indeed. That's why I add this," he said while pulling out a small dried leaf and crushing it into his cigarette. Leona's attention was diverted from the book as the new conversation began and she looked to Raphael in disbelief.

"Is that marijuana?" she questioned. The man's snorted laugh nearly blew the tobacco all over Talis. He reached his hand over and patted her on the head.

"No hun, this just a spearmint leaf. The smell it gives off is a much more pleasurable alternative to tobacco." He finished his small mixture and lit it as he watched the people move about inside the bar.

"I'm tired," Leona stated quite plainly.

"Ah, yes. Let's go get a room," Raphael said as he stood up from his seat, left a coin on the table for the drinks, and made his way to the counter. He paid for a three bed room and the group shuffled up the stairs and into the newly acquired sleeping space. Within an hour, Leona was fast asleep, as the old man leaned by the open window, continuing to putt away at a third cigarette. Talis' mind was clustered with thoughts and she decided to voice a few of them to the old man. He was not the company she would have preferred to have, but he was beginning to grow on her; and someone is always better than no one.

"Why does Leona trust you? Do you know her from somewhere?"

"I do not. But it is quite simply, really. She is a child, and was in shock and desperate. So, when I was there for her, she went off of instinct and followed me."

"Instinct? She's an early teenager. That's like, the definition of rebellion. I would know."

"Oh? Why is that?" Raphael asked. Talis hesitated in her response, not sure if she really wanted to open up to the old man quite so soon. She decided against it and gave him a quick deterrent from the tangent.

"Just left home. But anyways, you didn't answer my question."

"Ah, yes. Well you see, children are much easier to understand than adults. While she may be in her early years of rebellion, it's not natural. It's more like, a needed or forced aggression. It is a first step to becoming independent. However, in pain and being scared, everyone in the world will revert to instinct; that's our fastest and most effective form of progression. So, having been nearly killed in a burning fire, surrounded by people she did not know, her mind wanted to be a little kid again, reliant on adults and looking for help. I'd imagine she will be back to her old self in a few days, I just do not know what that self is like quite yet. I am interested to see. A Rakkor child. Hmm…" Raphael's explanation ended and, inadvertently answered a few others questions. It would explain her sudden shift from the aggressive child who attempted to fight an assassin all on her own, and the fact that she seemed unwilling to mention the events in the shop at all. Satisfied with the response, Talis rolled back over and attempted to get to sleep. The strange aroma of burning spearmint still filled the room and she called out to Raphael.

"Hey Rudolph, please try to get to sleep sometime soon. I've smelled enough smoke for one day." The firefighter chuckled.

"Yes, yes I imagine you have. Goodnight Talis," he said as he put out his cigarette and climbed into bed.

"One more thing…" The teen, still ravaging memories of the day, remembered the strange bubble that the old man had been inside of, moments before she had blacked out from the heat inside of her shop. "Why were you in a bubble?"

"Bubble? Ah, I have a strong control on water magics. When I need to enter buildings ablaze, I simply surround myself in a coating of water to help douse fires and keep myself at a cool temperature."

"Huh," was all she could say in response. The tactic seemed useful, and oddly resourceful coming from the wacky old man, but part of her had been hoping for a somewhat more glorified explanation. No more conversation pursued as the two fell fast asleep in the quite ambiance of Kalamanda.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_Written by TheLastMessage_

With a grumble and a groan, Talis awoke from the deep sleep that had enveloped her. A loud knock at the door had awoken her, and she rolled over just in time to see Leona enter.

"Damn it, what do you want? Cantcha' see I'm sleeping here?" the former shopkeeper grumbled.

"Raphael and I had stepped out to eat breakfast. I just came back to see if you had awakened yet," responded Leona.

Talis sat up, clearly irked that she had been woken. "So first you burned down my place of business and now you're interrupting my sleep? The hell's wrong with you?"

Raphael appeared behind Leona and leaned against the doorframe. "That sort of tone seems unnecessary, doesn't it Talis? We barely know any of the facts surrounding the situation, so it's a little early to be pointing fingers." The old man put a hand on Leona's shoulder. "There's certainly no reason to be so aggressive."

"You didn't just lose your entire livelihood and then spend the whole night thinking about it," snapped young Talis. The gaze she gave Leona seemed capable of cutting steel.

"That may be true, but I have seen people lose even more than that," Raphael stated, his tone growing more serious. "As a firefighter, I often times find myself arriving to a fire only in time to clean up the remains. At that point, the damage is already done. I've seen whole villages destroyed, families devastated, and lives ruined. I've seen people lose not only everything they owned, but everyone they knew and loved. And they aren't the only ones who feel that pain either, by the way. I always wonder, what would have happened if I had shown up to that fire only a few moments earlier? It may be unfortunate, but that's a question that will likely never be answered. All I can do is live with what has happened and carry on from there."

Talis opened her mouth to retort, but it became clear that the girl couldn't find the words. Instead, she just grunted and fell back on the bed. "So what are we going to do then?"

"We?" Asked Raphael. "I'm a little surprised that you are so quick to include yourself, Talis."

"Yeah well, that girl may or may not have caused my place to burn to ashes. I'm gonna make sure she gets to where she's goin' so she can pay me back."

Raphael looked at Leona, who returned his glance and shrugged her shoulders. "Its probably best you stay out of this," the Rakkor warned. "It could be quite dangerous. You saw what happened to Dorian."

"That kind of stuff doesn't scare me," Talis stated, shaking her head. "Life in the desert taught me to be tough. I nearly died out there once." She looked at Raphael. "What about you, Rafferty?"

"It's Raphael."

"Whatever. What do you plan on doing?"

"Well, I generally go wherever I am needed," he said, putting his hand on Leona's shoulder. "Let's hear what young Leona has to say about the situation, and if it looks like she needs my assistance then I will follow her until her goal is reached."

The young nomad girl sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. "Alrighty then. Why don't you go ahead and tell us what's going on Leona?"

"I'm not sure that's wise," responded Leona. "The burden I carry isn't something that I want to spread to others."

"We are offering our help to you Leona. I believe it would be in your best interests to at least give us a bit of a glimpse into what is going on so that we may assist you, at least until you are in good enough shape to get around on your own," Raphael said, trying to coax an explanation from the girl. When the girl still hesitated, Talis got up and walked over until she stood right in front of the young Rakkor.

"Do you know where you are?" asked the Shuriman.

"No."

"Do you know where you are going?"

"No."

"And you plan to just walk this path all on your own?" Talis asked with a hint of annoyance. "It's not going to do you any good wandering in circles trying to find your way around."

Leona stood, silently contemplating her options. She then sighed and nodded. "I would have to agree. I will accept your help, at least for the time being."

She walked over and sat down on her bed. "Where I come from, being a warrior is a way of life; the only way of life, really. You're expected to be a killing machine. It was all about fighting your heart out until you one day died a warrior's death."

"And you didn't agree with this lifestyle?" Raphael mused.

"Partially," Leona answered. "I could fight just as well as the next warrior, but when it comes to killing…I just don't share that same love for it that my fellow tribesmen do. My lack of enthusiasm for taking another life is seen as a major weakness. The Rakkor believe that effectively dispatching an opponent is what makes you a true warrior. I disagree with such beliefs, though."

When the young warrior seemed to hesitate, Raphael cleared his throat and asked, "What is it that you believe makes someone a strong, Leona? Teamwork? Strategy? Perhaps the will to survive?"

Leona shook her head. "The drive to protect; I believe that a strong warrior should fight to protect what they hold dear, not to kill for glory."

"Makes sense to me," muttered Talis.

"Really?" asked both of her companions, clearly a bit surprised.

"What are you so surprised about?" asked Talis, her voice hinting that she was slightly irked by such a reaction. "I may be a bit hotheaded at times, but I know that it's not always about who's got the most bite when it comes to fighting. If you've got something to protect, then you're gonna' have the drive to survive whatever you're facing to make sure that what you hold dear can stay safe."

"Well well, those are some awfully strong words coming from your mouth, Talis," said Raphael with a chuckle. "I suppose it could be equated to fighting a fire. While fighting the flames is important, saving the victims from the blaze takes priority. Sometimes though, you have to fight the fire first in order to protect those surrounded by it." He looked at Leona. "Am I making sense?"

Leona nodded. "I understand that sometimes it's necessary to fight in order to protect people, but part of me still doesn't feel that I belong with the Rakkor."

"So you ran away?" guessed Talis.

"Yes," confirmed Leona. "Running away wasn't actually my idea though."

Both the old firefighter and the young shopkeeper raised their eyebrows. "Was it Dorian's idea?" Talis asked, remembering the tall man who had accompanied Leona into her shop.

"Yes it was. At first I was opposed to it, but Dorian convinced me that it was for the best."

"I'm quite surprised a man from your tribe saw it fit to desert in such a manner," Raphael mumbled, stroking his short beard. "From what you've said, it would seem that the Rakkor wouldn't tolerate such behavior."

"Dorian didn't quite feel like he fit in either. He never told me why, but to me, he always seemed a bit too soft for a life like that."

"You're telling me that big brute didn't feel like he could hang in a warrior tribe? I find that hard to believe," admitted Talis.

"Believe it or not, Dorian was a very kind man. The only reason you saw such a gruff side of him was because he was trying to protect me. He had more of a love for battle than I did, but there were many other aspects of the Rakkor way that he did not agree with." Leona smiled, and it was clear that she had been quite fond of the tall warrior. "It's not completely unheard of for people to desert their tribes on Mt. Targon, although it is far from common."

"I can understand where you're coming from," Talis mumbled. "I was raised in the Shurima desert to a tribe of nomads." She then gestured to herself. "As you can see, I'm here and not there. That's a story for another time though. So anyway, I understand that you ran away from home, but why were you being chased by two madmen?"

Leona shrugged her shoulders. "The two men who were present at your shop were not the only ones that we encountered. At first, Dorian and I had suspected that they were members of our tribe coming to either kill us for deserting or return us to the tribe." The young warrior's expression suddenly became notably darker. "It quickly became evident though that they were not who we initially thought they were. The weapons and techniques they used were far different from our own, and none of them looked familiar."

"Hmmm. Chased by strangers and you have nowhere to go… It would seem that you are in quite the predicament young lady," said Raphael. "That being the case, I am happy to inform you that you have this old man at your service."

"Are you sure?" asked Leona. "You saw the fate that befell Talis' shop."

"Oh, it'll take more than that to scare away an old codger like me."

"Alright. I gratefully accept your assistance, Raphael," Leona said, dutifully giving a short bow. "What about you, Talis?"

"I already told ya," said the shopkeeper with a grin. "I'm gonna follow you till you get where you need to go so you can repay me."

"I'm afraid I can't quite promise the payment that you are hoping for," Leona warned.

"I'll take whatever you give me." The young Shuriman crossed her arms and sighed. "Besides, I was getting bored of this old village anyway. I think it's given me about all it has to offer."

"Thank you, both of you. Where do you think we should go then?"

Raphael opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off when a loud crash was suddenly heard from somewhere outside of their room. A few screams could be heard shortly thereafter. "We may have to answer that question later," he remarked, his eyes narrowing slightly. Quietly, the old firefighter opened the door, pausing to look back over his shoulder. "You two stay here. I'll be back in a moment." Without another word, the man shut the door. 

"I pray that there's no trouble," Leona breathed.

Talis nodded. "Same here, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't prepare for any." The indigo-haired girl drew her long dagger from its sheath, the long chain attached to it jingling with the movement.

Leona nodded, drawing her blade as well.

For a minute, the two simply sat and waited, listening as more crashes resounded through the building, as well as a few more shouts of panic. It quickly became clear that the two's wish for peace was one made in vain.

"I don't like that Raphael is out there on his own. We should go check on him," Leona whispered.

Talis nodded. Before either of them could make a move for the door though, it was suddenly and ferociously knocked inwards off its hinges. Talis sidestepped the splintered door as it flew into the room. Leona was not quite so quick, but managed to bat it away with a powerful swing of her sword.

Both of the girls looked up to see a man dressed in a dark robe and mask; his outfit was identical to the ones that the men who had invaded Talis' shop had been wearing.

Both the Rakkor and the Shuriman were ready to attack, but neither of them got the chance. Before either of them could move, the man who had kicked down the door was enveloped in a large sphere of water. Talis watched in awe as the sphere began to swirl, spinning its occupant around and around. After a few seconds, the vortex dispersed with a splash. Amazingly, the man, though soaking wet, managed to land on his feet. Unfortunately for him, he was too disoriented to react as Talis charged at him and leapt up, slamming the point of her knee cleanly into the intruder's jaw under the edge of the mask.

The blow completely took the man's equilibrium away, and his legs gave way. The masked stranger was finally relieved of his consciousness as his head struck the wall behind him.

Stepping over the man's body, Talis was relieved to see Raphael standing down the hallway; he had been the one who had conjured up the whirling vortex of water. Looking back into the room, she grinned at Leona. "Looks like we're leaving a bit early. Let's go!"


	4. A Note from the Authors

_A note from the Authors:_

_Hey everyone, Bub-Omb here, and I'm starting up a new story with a friend of mine as kind of a project / can we actually co-write a story. He goes by the pen name TheLastMessage, so feel free to check out his work as well._

_So the idea is, we both get to add in an original character, and we both trade off writing the chapters of the story. We collaborate on the plot, but the details are up the author in charge of the chapter. We will label each chapter in case you guys get curious as to whose ideas were whose. Perhaps this will just flop on its face, or it could be one hell of a ride. To previous followers of mine and his, don't worry: we still plan to continue our main stories being Exaltation to Exile, Light of Redemption, and our newest shorter additions, Origins of Legends and Nine Tails Six Strings. This is just supposed to be a very lighthearted thing for us to do when we both have downtime together, instead of getting frustrated that we suck at the actual League of Legends game._

_So let's have fun guys and gals! Trying out something new here, so please please PLEASE leave comments, pm me or him, follow, subscribe, like, consume, favorite to your heart's content, we would LOVE to hear what you think!_

_~Bub-Omb_

_Yep. It's pretty much like Bub said. Sometimes I'm surprised what he manages to talk me into, but this seems like it will be a fun project. I am very excited to see where this goes, and I hope you all are too. Take care everyone! -TheLastMessage_


	5. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4_

_Written by Bub-Omb_

A soaking wet Leona glared at one of her newfound allies, but not the one she had anticipated conflict with. The old man smiled ear to ear as he, also drenched in water, then shook himself off, his greying hair showing age a little more plainly while shimmering in the morning sunlight.

Talis was blatantly displeased with the series of events as well, but seeing Leona frustrated with Raphael made her smile a little, so the irritation did not breach the surface.

"ANY other escape route would have been nicer than that!" Leona shouted.

"My, is the young Leona afraid of heights? Or perhaps, water was the culprit of your displeasure?" he teased back. She rolled her eyes and stomped off away from the city, somewhat strewn from the stress of the situation given the few events that had taken place. Talis watched her clomp off and then turned to Raphael.

"You have GOT to warn us next time Rafters. The hell…" The old man chuckled, looked up to the window they had jumped from, and dissipated their watery cushion he had conjured. Knowing that the escape route would only fool their pursuers if they could not be seen running away, he tried to push the girls along their path, leaving Kalamanda.

Forty minutes had passed and not a soul could be seen behind them, which meant that they were at least not being chased for the time being. As they marched along, Raphael rolled up another one of his spearmint cigarettes.

"You move slow as shit already, do you really need to destroy your lungs too?" Talis scoffed. He coughed out a laugh at the spontaneous remark, and shook his head.

"I hardly feel that a single cigarette is going to hinder my movement any further," he replied.

"The child in a full suit of armor is moving twice your speed," she retorted. Ahead of then, Leona turned and let a smirk flash their way.

"Oh my, I have been turned against by both of my allies. It seems I have little choice but to secede." He flicked the remainder of his cigarette into the dirt off to the side, and stared ahead at the long empty road. He looked to the sky and determined by the still rising sun that they were walking northward, and they pressed on in silence for another forty minutes until Raphael grew curious.

"Leona, are we traveling in a specific direction?"

"Huh?" The girl turned and stared at him as if he were a stranger who had pulled her from her thoughts. Talis exchanged worried glances with Raphael.

"Leona, where are you taking us?" he repeated.

"How do you know my name? How long have you been following me?" She demanded, her warrior voice booming out threateningly.

"Alright sunshine, cut the crap. We already determined that you are traveling with us," Talis stated while advancing towards the girl. She reacted immediately by pulling her sword out in a large arc, dangerously close to the teen's indigo hair.

"What the hell is –"

"Don't come closer!" Leona shouted, holding a defensive stance, shield raised and sword arm ready. Raphael placed a restraining hand on Talis' shoulder, trying to encourage her to refrain from getting bullheaded. Leona rushed forward, seeing the gesture as potential weakness, and lunged at Talis. She slapped away the old man's hand and rolled sideways, allowing Leona to jump through her spot and skid across the dirt past them.

Talis whipped out her knife and hurled it at the girl, just to see it quickly deflected with her shield. Yanking on the chain attached to it, dust kicked up into the air and Talis rotated about, making a small sand screen to hide behind. Aggravated, Leona held her sword to the sky and let it glow with a glorious radiance. Intrigued, Raphael, watched on like a movie playing out before him.

Using the light branded sword, the Rakkor warrior cut through the smog just in time to see the knife flying her way again. This time it wrapped around the shield, lifted just too late to deflect, and with a sharp tug, brought it to the ground. Leona stomped in it, and successfully kept Talis from retracting her weapon. She turned to the firefighter, who was still examining from the sideline.

"Hey you old fart! Help!"

"I am not sure that this is my battle to interrupt," he stated.

"What!? You are joking right!? She has gone crazy!" However, she did not have time to listen to any sort of rebuttal as Leona grabbed the chain she was grounding and tugged it in her direction. Talis was whipped forward and just barely managed to avoid the sword jutting out her way. Tumbling to the ground, she swept Leona off of her legs with a rotating kick about the body. Once her opponent had fallen, she jerked her chain back and recovered the knife before pouncing on the Rakkor's back to wrap the chain around her neck and pull upwards.

Unable to reach her sword, Leona was forced to attempt to pull the choke away from her throat. Her attempts were unsuccessful, and Raphael noticed a glow beginning to emanate from her. He reacted as quickly as he could to surround the girl in a casket of concentrated water. Talis quickly dropped her weapon and shuffled backwards from the scene. A massive explosion of light erupted outward that forced both allies to shield their faces and stagger step.

After a few moments, the blinding flash died out, and Leona lay unconscious in her watery suit. Talis traded her stare from the girl, to Raphael, and back again. The old man fell to his knees, gasping for breath, clearly exhausted from the mana pull required to channel the spell. Talis walked to him and kneeled down, waiting for answers.

"I…" The man said between pants. "I have never… never had to put so much power… into a spell before…"

"What spell?" Talis demanded.

"It was a water shield… I used it to dissipate the heat… and extinguish any attempted flames..."

"So she DID burn down my shop!" Talis roared.

"I don't think… it was her fault… There is a much greater power present here… And we must find out what… before it puts more people in danger…" Talis crossed her arms and frowned.

"What do you mean WE. You just stood aside and watched as she tried to kill me!"

"I had to conserve… my energy… Had I not… you may have been incinerated…"

"You knew this was coming?" Talis asked, very confused.

"Based upon the description… of what happened at your shop… I figured it may be coming… I had to be cautious…"

"Well… fine." Talis let her arms loose and her face relax. She offered the man a hand up and walked past Leona, continuing northward. "I'll help," she called out, "but you are carrying the psycho."

"Ugh…" he groaned. "This is going to slow me down MUCH more than a cigarette…"

* * *

They marched on, still unsure as to what their destination was. The map of Valoran placed the Howling Marsh just north of them, and across the mountains laid both Piltover, the City of Progress, and Zaun, where those who wished to experiment in scientific advancement by means that were not allowed by laws and regulations of Piltover.

Any of the three places would bode well for the group; the swamp was home to many mages who dabbled in the arts of spirit and mind unison, while Zaun or Piltover have access to large amounts of technologies and medicines. Figuring out and potentially curing Leona of whatever ailment she was undergoing had many potential routes to help them along.

The journey on foot wore sores in Raphael's feet, taking on the added weight of the unconscious Leona. He was too weary to summon any sort of soothing water spell to lighten his step, as doing so would just tire him out faster. He very frequently took a rest immediately after fighting a fire, simply because he needed to recuperate from the intense mana draw it required. Often times people looked at him as lazy or sluggish, when in reality he was generally either conserving energy or recovering from having expelled it. For the time being, he was beyond exhausted.

Talis however, did not seem to be concerned. She was rather enjoying the nature walk. A little hungry from having slept through breakfast and making a break from town before she could eat, but far from tired. If anything she was energetic, having been uplifted by the adrenaline rush of her fight with Leona.

"I'm hungry," she declared, as if the statement alone would fix her problem.

"I'm old, tired, and lonely, however you do not see me griping loudly about it," Raphael retorted without hesitation.

"Alllrighty smart ass. Making remarks like that won't get us food or a bed."

"We just left Kalamanda, the only place remotely close to either of those within miles. It was built as a midway point for travelers coming and going to and from Demacia or Noxus, since nothing else remotely close a town exists out here."

"Well what the hell?!" She stomped her foot, as if adding emphasis to the frustration of being hungry. "People travel! How do they survive out here?"

"Well most of them don't sleep through breakfast," Raphael teased. She frowned in response.

"You still did not answer me." With a sigh and a heave, Raphael sat down near a tree after placing Leona gently on the ground, and stared at the path ahead.

"People usually take food with them, or live off of the land." She stared plainly at him. He sighed again and went on. "Hunt, or eat wild fruits and vegetables. Does that make sense?"

"Oh… Yeah I knew that," she admitted, shying away from her aggressive stance. She walked a few yards back towards Raphael, having paid no mind to how far ahead she had been, and sat down with him. "Do you know these lands? What kind of food might we see?"

"I am not totally familiar with where we are, but I can see that we are close to a swampy region, and in the distance a mountain range is plainly noticeable. The mountains may have elk, deer, or rabbits, while the swamp is most likely to house vegetation, like mushrooms, leeks, or maybe seaweed. So depending on where we go, we have different options. Do you want to go north-west, into the swamps, or north-east, to the mountains?" Talis considered the options momentarily.

"I have more experience with herbs and vegetation as far as food goes, so let's head that way." Raphael smiled and nodded, not particularly wanting to have to hunt either, and slowly got to his feet, pausing briefly as he bent over to recover Leona; his back was aching and the idea of carrying the young warrior much further placed preemptive pain on his joints.

Talis was already taking off and failed to notice his struggle, so he picked Leona up and followed behind her.

The grounds were shifting in a slow gradual manner from dirt and dusty roads to green and wetted trails. Plenty of moss and algae grew on the rocks and trees, flourishing in the naturally water infested lands. Areas that got less frequent light due to tree cast shadows showed the effects through dead grass and sudden cut offs of weeds or flowers. It conveniently created large oval shaped clearings around most trees that allowed for a place to stop and rest as breaths came shorter in the high humidity climate.

Failing to hear the continual sound of footsteps behind her, Talis stopped and listened to the surroundings. Some frogs and bugs could be heard moving about, but it sounded as if Raphael had stopped to rest again. Slightly annoyed, she turned to scold him for making yet another stop, and noticed he was just lagging behind, but still pushing forward.

She waited for the man to catch up, and saw that his face was flushed and wet. Closer inspection took note of the tears strewing down his cheeks and she suddenly sprinted to meet up.

"What's wrong Rapple?" she asked, concerned, but still failing to remember his name.

"Oh nothing, nothing at all. Just the pains of an old man. Nothing I haven't seen before in my life."

"Pains of… If she was that heavy then why didn't you say something!"

"I am more humble than to spend my time… How do I put it… How about, bitching?" Talis coughed out a laugh and rolled her eyes before coaxing the two towards the ground near a tree to rest. It was was relatively wet and squishy, but he paid it no mind as simply getting to sit was relaxing enough. They helped the still unconscious Leona to the ground and Raphael took his black and yellow jacket into a roll to put it under her head. He sat and stared at the surroundings, wondering how they would manage to cook any food. As if holding the same thought, Talis suggested an idea.

"How about we scout for some edible vegetation, fruits, or fungi?"

"You know of ones that don't need to be cooked?" he prodded.

"Yeah, I should be able to manage. I have survived off of the land long enough to know what the signs of edibility are."

"Huh. Very well. I'll leave you to that. I'm just going to lie here – " He paused to let out a large yawn and a hearty stretch. "And take a nap…" The man curled up against the tree, alongside Leona, and within minutes was completely asleep. Talis shook her head and decided to go scout for food.

* * *

A plethora of plants scattered the swamps about them, which gave out plenty of options to look through, the problem was knowing what was usable. She found a smaller tree with thick partially ungrounded roots, scattered with many mushrooms and fungi. Getting to her knees, she sorted through all of the different ones, taking mental notes.

_No no, not anything yellow and black. Never anything with black stripes. _

Crouch walking along, she started to pick a number of fungi and place them in her shirt as she upturned it. Once satisfied, she popped one in her mouth and walked along casually, now staring up towards the trees for fruit. A short ways in front of her, she saw something hanging from the trees. Excited, she sprinted forwards, hoping to sink her teeth into some juicy fruits. Then she stopped dead in her tracks, heart sinking through the floor along with her stomach.

_Those aren't fruit… Those are… Limbs…_

Having lost her appetite completely, she dropped the collected fungi and rushed back to where her friends were resting. She spun around frantically at the tree they had stopped at, but found no one in sight. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest as she heard rustling nearby.

_Shit…_


End file.
